It won’t be easy though. Even though the race is over 12 hours, the smallest foul up can lose us track position or the race. And things get off to a bad start. All the karts used in the championship are, in theory at least, identical, and are allotted at random by drawing lots. After drawing kart 26, and decorating it with stickers and coloured tape, we head out for free practice and discover that it’s a steaming pile of manure on wheels. Of particular concern are the brakes – the pedal is soft for 3/4 of its travel, and then all the stopping power comes on at once, leading to an almost instant lock up. This tiny window of effective bite makes trail-braking into corners virtually impossible, and after practice ends we’re well down the order.
Joao decides to take drastic action, and complains to the race organisers. We’re given a new kart, but the first time we get to try it is when Joao takes it out for the very short qualifying session. Luckily, it’s much better, and we instantly gain a second. But it means that once the race starts, only one of us will have driven the kart we’re now using.
At 2pm, the race gets underway, Joao taking the opening stint after a Le Mans-style start where all drivers run to their karts and speed off. We’ve qualified 11th, but a first corner snarl up puts our captain down the field. He heroically fights back and is sitting sixth when another coming together with a competitor sees him pit for the first changeover, 45 minutes in, back in 11th.
For the first four hours or so, Joao and Anas swap, putting in virtually identical times – around 1:12.9 per lap, compared to low 1:12s for the leaders, CG Pro, as expected. And somehow, we make no mistakes. Pit stops have to take a minimum of 1min 35 secs, and stopwatches ensure we don’t go under. Plenty do, and take penalties as a consequence. So as night falls, we find ourselves well up at the sharp end in third. And it’s my turn.
I suffer from an inherent disadvantage when it comes to karting. At 92kg, I’m 12kg over the minimum weight and all my diminutive teammates are using weights to make sure they’re legal. In a motorsport where the engines produce less than 20bhp, weight makes a big impact on performance. No matter how well I drive, I won’t be as fast as if I were lighter. But nevertheless, I put in respectable times in the low 1:13s. The brakes on this kart are infinitely better, allowing me to scrub off speed with much more accuracy than before. Although I don’t make up any places, I don’t lose any either.
